"Last one," Dr. Kapoor said as he took another vial of blood at the end of an extensive physical exam of Adriana.

"Great," Adriana said.

She thought about the previous night and all of Bruce's bothersome questions. He left that morning for work at the crack of dawn. Adriana didn't see him at all but she heard his footsteps pass by their bedroom and go into Arsenio's at around 6 that morning. She hated fighting with him.

"Bruce asked about the Joker last night," Adriana said to Dr. Kapoor as he pressed a gauze onto her arm.

Dr. Kapoor looked into her eyes. "Oh?"

"He's...obsessed with finding him," Adriana said. "I thought he had given up on it but...it seems like it's gotten worse."

"Do you believe he needs counseling?" Dr. Kapoor asked. "Perhaps I could speak to him later. Jack is away until tomorrow. Bruce could come here."

"He needs more than counseling," Adriana said. "I need you to promise me something.."

"What would that be?" Dr. Kapoor asked.

"If Bruce ever catches on to what we've done here...with having the Joker here.." Adriana asked.

"You would like me to keep the secret," Dr. Kapoor said.

Adriana looked down.

"No," Adriana said. "If he comes to you..by then it will be too late. He will figure it out eventually. You can tell him everything..just.."

"Everything?" Dr. Kapoor raised his eyebrows.

"Bruce is an expert at reading body language, so he will know if you lie to him," Adriana said. "Tell him is was all my fault..that I made you help..after all it's kind of true. I don't want him to blame you."

"I understand," Dr. Kapoor said, hearing the hopelessness in Adriana's voice.

"Just...promise me one thing," she said.

"Anything, dear," Dr. Kapoor said and squeezed her hand.

"I need you to keep doctor-patient privilege," she said.

Dr. Kapoor swallowed. "Of course," he said. "If you think the situation is that...serious...I will have Jack's medical records destroyed immediately after your visit."

"Please," Adriana said and squeezed his hand to thank him. "I'd appreciate it."

"Of course," Dr. Kapoor said. "Now, tell me how you have been feeling."

"I'm fine," Adriana said. "Perfectly fine. I'm only here because Jack insisted and we made a deal."

"No more fainting spells?" Dr. Kapoor asked.

"No," she said.

"I'll be right back," Dr. Kapoor said and left with her blood samples before returning a few minutes later.

"Lab work is in process," Dr. Kapoor said. "I'll have some of your results in a few hours, and others within the next 72 hours."

"Okay," Adriana said. "Can I go?"

"Yes, we are done," Dr. Kapoor said.

Adriana stood to leave and felt herself hit with a wave of dizziness. She caught her balance before walking to the door.

"Adriana," Dr. Kapoor said. "Are you light headed?"

"A bit," she said. "But it passes."

"I've already checked your vitals while sitting," he said. "Perhaps I should double check them while you're standing."

"Is that necessary?" she asked.

"I'd say so," he told her.

"Okay," she said and sat down while Dr. Kapoor grabbed the blood pressure cuff and oximeter.

"Please stay seated," he said to her.

Adriana stayed seated on the exam bed as Dr. Kapoor took her blood pressure and pulse.

"Excellent," he said. "118/74 is your blood pressure and your pulse is 76."

Adriana nodded and then Dr. Kapoor instructed her to stand.

"Just stand still for a moment," he said and she nodded. "Hm..."

"What is it?" Adriana asked as she felt the blood pressure cuff loosen when it was done taking the pressure.

"Please sit," he instructed and she did.

"Your standing blood pressure was 81/55," Dr. Kapoor said calmly. "And your heart rate went to 151."

Adriana frowned. "What? Must be an error."

"We will try it again," Dr. Kapoor said. "Just rest for a few moments."

"Okay then," Adriana said.

After a minute or two, Dr. Kapoor told Adriana to stand again.

"83/56," Dr. Kapoor said. "Pulse 155."

"That can't be right.." Adriana said.

"We will have to run more tests to confirm," Dr. Kapoor said. "Are you typically dizzy when standing? Do you feel your heart racing and then relief when sitting again?"

"Well...I mean..." Adriana tried to think. "I'd say so, for a couple weeks. What is it?"

"I think you could have a form of orthostatic intolerance," he said. "Possibly postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. I will have to order a tilt table to perfect the test since we don't have one here."

Adriana raised her eyebrows. "Is it serious?"

"It can be," Dr. Kapoor said. "It can be a chronic health condition that is debilitating in many. We could try a stress test but with your heart rate so high I'm not sure-"

"Let's do it," Adriana said. "I mean, I was just out running through the streets of Gotham chasing robbers last week so I think I can do it."

"Are you certain?" Dr. Kapoor asked.

"Yes."

Adriana and Dr. Kapoor went to another room with a treadmill and he hooked her up to tons of wires and sat in front of a computer to start it.

"I need you to look straight ahead," Dr. Kapoor said. "Don't turn to look at the screen. I need to turn the monitor so that I can see it while I stand beside you."

"Got it," Adriana said, feeling slightly dizzy but not worried at all.

Dr. Kapoor started her walking, jogging and then running before slowing the machine to a stop. Adriana could feel her heart pounding in her neck so fast it almost felt like a vibration.

"Sit here," Dr. Kapoor helped her to a chair and she began to pull off the stickers on her chest.

"Your peak heart rate was 211," Dr. Kapoor said and placed his fingers on her wrist to make sure her pulse was going back down. "It's down to 90 now. Your blood pressure was 90/61 while running."

"This is crazy," Adriana said, feeling insanely lightheaded and confused. "How...what...how can this just happen? What do I need to do?"

"We'll do the tilt table test in a day or so but you have all the characteristics of dysautonomia," he said. "Orthostatic intolerance and tachycardia-"

"What do we do? Do I take medication or?" Adriana asked.

"There are medications that can provide some relief but there is no cure," Dr. Kapoor said. "There is no threat to your life and well being if you are careful with this. The biggest threat would be fainting. You could hit your head, suffer concussion."

"Careful?" Adriana asked.

"I'm afraid vigilantism is out of the question until we have a reliable medication for you which can take time and some experimentation to find," Dr. Kapoor said. "It won't be an exact science. In some cases medications are not effective."

"I don't get it," Adriana said. "How did this happen? Out of the blue? You're telling me my body is malfunctioning for no reason? And that I can't go back to doing what I love-"

"I'm telling you it will take time," Dr. Kapoor said. "You will have to make some lifestyle changes. There is no known cause but this typically happens to women of childbearing age for unknown reasons-"

"I can't.." Adriana started shaking her head. "I can't believe this."

.

.

.

"Hi.." Adriana said to the Joker as she arrived at his short term apartment which was so clean it didn't look lived in at all.

"Come in," he said and stepped aside.

As soon as she was in she sat down. She realized again the relief of her dizziness as soon as she sat down.

"Have a seat," he laughed.

"I saw Dr. Kapoor," she told him.

The Joker closed the door and walked over to the couch where she was sitting.

"I've been trying to call my husband but he's probably in meetings, I can't get a hold of him," she said.

"Did he give you bad news?" the Joker asked.

"Yes," she said. "He thinks I have..some orthostatic intolerance syndrome."

"That...sounds serious," he said.

"It sounds annoying," she said. "Basically when I stand up my blood pressure drops and my heart races to try to pump the blood back up to my brain. That's why I fainted. No known cause..no cure...no nothing. He doesn't want me to do vigilantism until we find a medication that can help consistently. He said it could take a while."

"I've never heard of it," the Joker told her.

"Neither had I," she said.

"And now you have an answer," he said.

"Yea but...what do I do now?" she asked, feeling like she was about to cry. It felt like her strength and abilities had been snatched away.

"Sit and put your feet up," he told her.

"I can't do that," she said. "I'm..Shade."

"You're Adriana Wayne and you've got orthostatic intolerance," he said plainly.

Adriana crossed her arms and leaned back.

"Pouting won't change that," he said. "It won't prevent fainting either."

"I can't live my life like this," she said. "Unable to run or stand without feeling dizzy. Honestly, it was better not knowing what was wrong with me."

The Joker sighed. "Am I to blame then? For making you see the doctor?"

"Maybe," she said, still pouting. "I need to blame something or someone."

The Joker extended his hands out to the side and crossed one foot in front of the other before taking a dramatic bow.

"Happy to be of service," he said.

"Not funny," she told him and looked away. Her mood was sour and she knew it. "Anyway.."

He stood straight and looked at her for a few seconds. "Anyway?"

"What have you been doing?" she asked and looked around at the neat apartment.

"Research," he told her. "Lots of research."

"Okay," Adriana said. "Any leads?"

The Joker sat on the coffee table in front of her.

"None," he said.

"Oh..." Adriana said. "Well there's still time. And even if you don't find anything I'm not worried-"

"Perhaps you should be," he told her. "If I can't find anything about whoever stabbed Brake and knows we have a child together, it means one of two things."

"Thing one?" she asked.

"Their skill at covering their tracks are better than my sleuthing skills," he said. "Which is unlikely."

"And thing two?" she went on.

"They don't exist," he said.

"Well Brake didn't stab himself," Adriana said. "There must be a thing three."

"Thing three.." the Joker thought of another possibility. "This isn't about me. It's about you."

"Meaning what?" she asked.

"Your husband was blackmailed," the Joker said. "Murderer of Harvey Dent. The Batman. Threated me be exposed. And then all of a sudden the threats disappeared. Maybe they've changed their focus to you."

"That's a huge fucking coincidence," she said. "They went after Brake because he worked for you? And then got lucky learning some huge secret that to do with the wife of the Batman?"

"Too big of a coincidence," he said. "Which leads me back to thing two."

"They don't exist?" Adriana laughed. "That makes less sense than thing three."

"Damien Ricard," the Joker said.

"What about him?" Adriana asked.

"He said Brake called him repeatedly, said he was being harassed...said he was harassed by someone working for a former boss," the Joker said. "Never named the boss."

"Yes," Adriana said. "So?"

"Got stabbed, gutted nearly to death and then Damien finally calls you," he said. "Takes you to the hospital, has the adrenaline on hand-"

"We've been over this," Adriana said. "Damien is obsessed with me. That's why he's helping so much. He wants me back."

"Obsessed?" the Joker asked.

"Yes," Adriana said.

"You never told me he was obsessed," the Joker said. "You never used that word."

"Well he is," Adriana said. "He's grasping at straws to try to figure out who is trying to get to you through me. That's where he came up with Gambol. He even texted me another name..Patrick Olney? But I researched and found he was dead too-"

"Arch," the Joker said. "That's what he was known as on the street. He's dead."

"You're sure?" Adriana asked.

"Well, I killed him so I'd say so," the Joker said.

"Right.." Adriana said. "Well, you'll have the rest of today and tomorrow to research more. Honestly I don't care about any of it. They could have gone to the press by now but they can't. No evidence, no nothing."

The Joker nodded. "It sure will make leaving the country easier knowing that a potential enemy of mine isn't going to come after you."

"I can handle it," Adriana said.

"I would feel a great deal of relief if you told Bruce Wayne," the Joker said. "Tell him about why Brake was stabbed. Tell him that Brake told his assailant about us."

"Okay," Adriana said. "I will eventually."

"You need to tell him before I leave," the Joker said.

"I can't," Adriana said.

"Why not?" the Joker said. "He knows everything already."

"Because Bruce has an obsession to," Adriana said. "He's obsessed with finding you. He wants to kill you. We...had a fight about it last night. He kept asking questions. I told him I went down to get you from..."

"The underground hell," the Joker said.

"Yeah...he's not happy about it," she said.

"And you had a fight," the Joker repeated her words.

"Okay..maybe it wasn't a full blown fight but we...had a few words," she said. "I think...he may eventually find out the rest. About Dr. Kapoor..about you living right under us in the medical facility. Actually. I don't think it will be safe for you to go back."

The Joker nodded.

"I can stay here. Flight's in four days," he said. "Four days for me to find this person insistent on finding me, or four days for you to tell Bruce Wayne about it."

"If you don't figure it out by then I'll tell him," she said.

"The Batman's a goodie two shoes but he's strong, I'll give him that," the Joker said. "He can protect you if he knows."

Adriana nodded. "I can protect myself too."

"Yes." the Joker said. "But in light of recent..health discoveries...it's best you sit this one out."

Adriana sighed. "Fine. I should go."

"Okay then," the Joker said as she stood and went to the door.

"I'll come by tomorrow," she said.

"No," he said. "You stay home. Sit and rest. I have a phone here. Call it."

"Oh.." Adriana said. "Okay then. I'll call around ten or eleven."

.

.

.

"Six more bottles," Twyla said to Bruce and handed him the box.

"Thank you," he said.

"I'd be careful," she said darkly. "I can sense the tension in you. You're already more impulsive and foolhardy than you thought you'd be. You'll do something reckless."

"Maybe I need to be reckless," he told her.

"To kill," she said.

"If I don't," he said. "What will happen? Will someone on the other side of the world die?"

"No," she laughed. "It will be someone you know or someone close to you. At the very least you will be aware of the death. Or you can kill someone you don't know at all. Either way..."

"What if I hunt?" he asked. "Haven't done that in years."

"Hahaha!" Twyla said. "I needed a good laugh. You know an animal's death will do nothing."

"Then I will take these bottles and do what I need," he said.

"Sure you will."

.

.

.

Bruce needed to use six more hours and all six bottles of the potion to see what happened to the Joker. As he sat on the floor in his former Batcave, leaning against the wall with his hand pressed against it, he watched for the last long hour the Joker laying motionlessly.

Adriana returned. She panicked when she saw his condition. She ran out and returned with Lucius.

Where was the hired team?

She asked Lucius to stay with him while she left. She had an idea.

"Oh Bruce..." Bruce heard Lucius say over the Joker's skeletal and immobile body. "What have you done?"

Bruce couldn't answer him. He wasn't really there. Bruce was watching a replay of the past.

"Dr. Kapoor?" Bruce asked when Adriana returned with him.

Bruce watched the doctor, Adriana and Lucius remove the Joker from the Batcave. There was no team of security hired. There was no medical squad. There was no hint of where he was going. Dr. Kapoor was also involved. There was no more formula left...but Bruce knew what he needed to do. He would demand Dr. Kapoor tell him where the Joker was. Adriana and Lucius were to strong willed to tell him but Bruce knew he could get through to the doctor. There would be a death and it would be the Joker's.

Bruce didn't feel hot headed or reckless. He felt determined, bold, unflinching. He would bring this to a swift conclusion.